Hunter and Huntress
by melanieg7
Summary: Katniss never expected to find anything more beautiful than a deer in the woods outside District 12. But the amber eyes, golden hair, and pale skin of one vampire catches her eye, making it obvious he's an outsider. But will the ensuing Hunger Games conflict with the mystery of Edward Cullen?
1. First Sight

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or Twilight. All rights go to the brilliant minds of Suzanne Collins and Stephenie Meyer.**

**A.N. Well this is exhilarating! I can't believe how fun this was to write. Anyways, I've never written anything outside of school, but a little idea popped into my head and I just got the feeling that I had to write it down. I don't consider myself a writer, just a huge fan of Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games. (By the way, didja notice what I did with the chapter title? haha...) Right, so, Edward, Katniss, and Gale are the main characters in this story. Bella probably will not exist. (I am NOT a big fan of her...)**

**Katniss POV**

I walked over to my most recent kill. Just another squirrel. I slowly twisted my arrow out of its eye, making a face at the grossness that spilled out. Ha, you'd think I'd be used to it by now, what with killing these little animals for almost half my life. I suddenly noticed that I'd been in the woods for a while. It was a Sunday, and Gale was supposed to join me. I shrugged it off, he probably overslept. Waking up at dawn is a hard thing to do day after day. Besides, he'd been late before. I trotted around the forest, my quiet and trained feet making no noise. I noticed a peculiar sound coming from my left, I slowly turned and raised my strung bow. Aha! A large brown rabbit was checking out some of the berries on the bush. He turned his nose up at it and hopped away, closer to me. Slowly and noiselessly, I pulled back the string, exhaling, and let go. Oh, crap. It went through its leg! I hurried over with my knife and put it out of its misery. I hated it when they didn't die immediately. I didn't want them to suffer at all, it was bad enough that I was killing them. I inspected my bow, wondering what had caused my aim to be so off, well, off for me at least.

Then, my hunting senses kicked in. I stiffened. I could sense someone else was here. Gale? I looked around, wondering what had caused my hair to stand up on my neck. Up in the trees? Nothing. But I relaxed and sat down next to my rabbit once I saw him. "Dang it Gale, you don't have to sneak up on me like that." A light but deep laughter replied. "Hahaha! Catnip, you should've seen the way you tensed up! You'd think something was about to bite your neck off every time you hear a sound!" "Oh, shut up," I punched my best friend hard as he sat next to me.

"So what didja catch today, Catnip?" He inquired. "Just a couple of squirrels and a rabbit, nothing special. You?" "Nothing. I just got here." I laid down in the dirt, tossing my hunting gear aside. Well, you could hardly call it gear. Just a bow, a quiver of arrows, and a knife. I had heard in school that back when America was around, hunting was a popular pastime, and that people called "poachers" would over-hunt, just for the fun of it. Many of my classmates had scoffed at the idea. But I could see their fun. Hunting was a great way to let go of reality for me, and this reality was a good thing to let go of. Your mind could empty itself, thinking only of that single arrow and where it would hit. "Well," I said in reply to Gale's 'laziness,' "I've been up for hours, and I'm exhausted." I positioned my hands behind my head as Gale laid down next to me. We did this often, just coming to the woods for a chat, not even to hunt, but to get away from the town, simply for some privacy.

He turned on his side and looked at me. "You nervous?" He asked. "For what?" "The reaping is in a month and a half. We start putting our names in today." I sighed."Oh, right. Well, it's hardly something to be nervous about. We've been doing it for years, we'll be fi-" He scoffed and cut me off. "Don't say we'll be fine. How many times are our names going to be in there? Combined, over a hundred. A hundred, Katniss! The odds will not be in our favor! One of us is bound to get picked, maybe even both of us. What if we had to kill each other? What if we end up being the last two? What then? I can't kill you Katniss! I can't kill you beca-" He cut himself off and sat up. He put his head in his arms. I gingerly sat up and put my hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles. After a few minutes, the out-of-character sulking stopped. He looked back at me, seeming to gaze at my lips. "I can't kill you because... because you're my best friend. I would hate myself forever." Stunned by his strange pessimistic mood (well, he was always pessimistic, but not like this), I tried to lighten the atmosphere. "Hey, you know we haven't had the reaping yet, right?" I chuckled nervously. "We haven't been plunged into death yet," I joked. He gave me a look, one that said, "shut up, you are crazy." But after a while he smiled. "What would I do without you Catnip?"

He pulled me up to my feet. "C'mon," he said, "Prim'll be wondering where you are." He picked up my kill as I picked up my weapons. He started to walk ahead of me, mock-skipping and turning back to grin at me. It was my turn to give him the crazy look, but I chuckled. He went even farther ahead, whistling some weird cheerful tune as he started walking normally towards District 12. I looked around me a bit more, just curious of what else could've experienced this weird non-Gale-like behavior. Then I froze like a deer in the headlights. It was then that I saw the golden eyes, the bronze hair, and the alabaster skin of a stranger.

**A.N. Again, this is my first story, so any advice is very much welcomed. Please review and tell me what you think, what I could make better, and any ideas for how this story should go. I only have, like, one other chapter of this planned out. Oh, and I know Gale was a little bit OOC, sorry about that. I think he'll fit into the story a bit better like this. Thank you so much for reading! I love you just for that (though I'd love you more if you reviewed)! I don't want to write much more until I know that someone actually is reading this, so let me know by reviewing or following me!**

**-Melanie**


	2. Watching

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or Twilight. All rights go to the brilliant minds of Suzanne Collins and Stephenie Meyer.**

**A.N. Thank you so much to all that reviewed, it means so much to me. If anyone has any questions, I will be PM-ing you, so make sure it's turned on in your settings. So, thus continues the story of Katniss, Edward, and Gale! But, *SPOILER ALERT* for anyone who hasn't read Mockingjay. It's small, but important to the book.**

Edward POV

I had been watching her for a week and a half now. I was absolutely captivated by her defiance and her bravery, her precision and her knowledge. Not to mention her beautiful olive-toned skin and her perfectly plaited braid. Almost every day she came and "visited me" in the forest.

I knew about Panem and their rules. I knew about District 13 and how it was "supposedly" destroyed. Most of the humans didn't know the District was alive and well. The citizens weren't allowed outside of their boundaries, and especially not allowed to hunt. So why did she break the rules every day?

She must not have enough food. There's no other reason she'd risk her life and freedom so often. I hated to think that she could've been malnourished. Why didn't her parents take care of her? Why didn't they have a job to make money for their family? And if they couldn't do that, why weren't they out here risking _their_ lives instead of letting her? There was so much I wanted to know about her. From her conversations with her male friend Gale, I had figured out that she had a sister named Prim. I could tell that she loved her very much; she lit up at her name, and a small smile would creep onto her lovely face.

It felt so wonderful to watch her, so right, but there was a part of me that said "No, this is wrong. You see, there are these things called unhealthy obsessions and stalking…" at which point I would shove the thought away. It wasn't like I followed her to her house and watched her sleep, now _that_ would be creepy. I simply admired her skill from afar, admired her smarts and intuition and knowledge and face and slender arms and thin waist and mahogany hair and- No! I can't think that way.

Thinking like that would cause trouble. It had happened before, long ago. I had seen a beautiful, beautiful girl hunting with her father. She used a bow and arrow, just like this girl. Oh, how lovely was she, how skilled. I watched her, and I fell in love with her. Her looks, her understanding of the nature around her, and eventually, her smell. One day, when she hunted without her father, I couldn't help myself. I attacked. She had the sweetest blood I had ever tasted. I regretted it almost immediately, and I hated myself for it. I had killed an innocent! I vowed to never get close to any human ever again.

Carlisle and the others were only a little disappointed. They knew how hard it must have been. Emmett especially understood; he had been through the same experiences. I couldn't show my face around them without immense guilt taking over me, so in the century that followed, I started to hunt farther away from them. We grew apart. I knew it broke Esme's heart, and I only hated myself more. I was never quite the same again. For one stretch of time, I was away from the family for so long that they had to move, but couldn't get a hold of me. So I hadn't known where they had gone.

Not long after I discovered their flight, America fell into its current dark abyss. Panem began to rise, and the chaos and turmoil only served to separate me more from my vampire family. Eventually the Districts grew into themselves, and rebelled against their Capitol. I stayed in the darkness and safety of the forest, keeping my promise to myself: to stay away from humans as much as possible. All the blood could have been too much to handle. Nearly 70 years had passed, and here I was now.

After I had explored around the whole country, (and discovered District 13,) I returned to what used to be Forks. The forest had grown into the perfect hunting ground, so I stayed here, almost content. I still missed my family terribly, and I didn't even know if they were alive anymore. They might've died in the rebellions. I didn't like to think about it.

I hadn't discovered Katniss and her hunting skills until recently because I had stayed deeper in the forest than she had come. But eventually, I convinced myself to come closer to the nearest District. Staying away from humanity and civilization for so long couldn't have been healthy.

Katniss and Gale had started to get up. I had zoned out and didn't listen to their conversation. I peered into Gale's mind to catch up. _So pretty, ugh! No! Shut up Gale, she's your best friend, and there's no time for love like this! Besides, you have been ultimately friend-zoned. And. You. Are. Okay. With. That. _He thought the last words with a force like he still was trying to convince himself. _And anyway, every other guy in town loves her, why would she love you?_ Oh? Every other human male teenager seemed to be as taken with her as Gale and I were. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I mean, she didn't even know I existed. Why should I feel this bubbling anger? It was only anger, there was no way it could be jealousy. Ha! A vampire, jealous! Hahaha!

They started to walk back towards the District as I silently dropped from my perch in a tree. The way she walked was slightly graceful, and yet, strong. Could the two exist together? Not in a human. My train of thought was derailed as Katniss suddenly started to peer around. That was when she spotted me.

**A.N. Yay! I hope you guys liked this chapter, and Edward's POV. Please review and tell me what you think, what I could make better, and any ideas** **for how the story should continue. Tell me what you thought about Edward's back story! Oh, and I have a question, should Edward be able to read Katniss' mind or not? I'm kind of leaning towards no, that way she'll be more intriguing to him. Review! I want to know your opinion. Thank you so much for reading!**

-Melanie


	3. Conversations

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or Twilight. All rights go to the brilliant minds of Suzanne Collins and Stephenie Meyer.**

**A.N. Thank you to the readers, reviewers, and followers! I love you so much. This chapter is a bit longer than the others. (Four whole pages!) Let me know if you like it, and if you want me to write shorter or longer. (This means review! I can't read minds!) I've decided to continue for a while with this story. I'm actually starting to like writing. But school starts soon, and chapters won't be very quick to upload, and for that, I apologize in advance. Pleeeease review! Just something like "I liked it" is appreciated. But anyways, on with the story!**

**Katniss POV**

The past few nights of sleep were non-existent. The striking golden eyes always came into my dreams somehow. Whether my dream was about Gale, Prim, or even the upcoming reaping, there they were, there he was. I never told Gale about the strange but beautiful creature I had seen, but I had been hesitant to go back into the woods. So, I pretended I had a raging headache. I think my mother could tell I was faking, even though she didn't say anything. She never talked much anyway; she was barren. I knew the death of my father was hard on her, but it was hard on all of us.

Gale came by everyday with his precious game to feed us and to check on me. He took over both of our daily jobs, hunting, trapping, trading at the Hob. I felt guilty. I had no reason to be afraid of that thing in the woods, and this was a lot of work to put solely on Gale. So I decided that enough was enough. The sun still hadn't risen today, so I sat up and stretched. Silently, I walked over to my boots and pulled them on. On my way out of the bedroom, I slid my arms through my father's old leather jacket.

The sky was dark, but my eyes were trained enough to see. Glancing around multiple times, I marched over to Gale's shack of a house. I peered through the window to see the kitchen. Gale was dragging on his own boots. I sat down by his front door, or I guess, only door. When he finally walked out, he looked shocked at my presence. I stood up, brushing off the dirt and leaves that stuck to my backside, and smiled at him. He closed the distance in a single step and reached his hand up to my forehead.

"What are you doing here?" He whispered. "Are you okay? You're not still sick are you? Maybe you should go back to bed, your head is warm. It's okay Katniss, I can handle-" I chuckled at him. He was too concerned for his own good. "I'm fine, Gale, calm down. I feel better, and I want to hunt." He lowered his hand and relaxed his raised eyebrows. Then he smiled and took a deep breath. After a bit of silence, he agreed. "Okay, sorry, I just don't want you to be in pain."

We both trotted in the direction of the fence that surrounded District 12. As usual, we waited next to it to listen for the buzz of an electric current. Naturally, it was silent, and we strategically rolled underneath it. Gale had brought his weapons; I fished mine out of the hollow log. As we headed over to the normal spot, the wind picked up. We looked to the sky.

"A storm's coming." Gale stated. "How can you tell?" I questioned. "Look at the clouds. See how dark they are?" I looked again. One cloud did look particularly nasty. "It looks pretty bad. You sure you wanna hunt?" Gale asked. "Of course! I'm not gonna let some puny rain and thunder scare me away. Are you?" I challenged. "I don't know Katniss," he sounded unsure. "I think it's more than rain and thunder." I deliberated. "Okay, you've been hunting for the both of us for the past few days; I'll hunt for you today. Besides, with only one person to worry about we'll be better off." And as I expected, Gale argued with me. "Catnip, I don't want you out here if there's a bad storm. Let's just wait until tomorrow to hunt." So, I pleaded with my eyes. Gale could never resist my puppy-dog face. "Please? I want to pay you back for taking care of us." A moment of silence. "Fine," he huffed. "But if you aren't careful-" "Yeah yeah, now go home, you worry wart." I pushed him away.

After two hours without Gale, without game, but also without rain, I had decided today was just not a good hunting day. Then a branch snapped behind me. Bow strung and raised, deep breath, spot the prey. But it wasn't an animal. It was those golden eyes.

Slowly, I lowered my weapon. The man stepped out from behind the tree. We stood in silence, watching each other.

Somehow, I managed to find my voice. "You know, this hunting ground is taken." I said, gesturing to my bow. He didn't say anything. "But, seeing as you have no weapons…" I trailed off. He cocked his head to the left. Then he smiled. It was crooked, but not in the way you'd expect. Not like a boy who was trying to be cute or seductive. It was natural, and it was beautiful. I inhaled, without enough volume or air to be called a gasp. "So I can stay?" He asked. Oh wow. His voice. Was there ever one so musical, or so smooth? I stared at his crooked smile again. My heartbeat must've been beating faster than a running rabbit's. His smile slowly disappeared and he suddenly looked skeptical. He cleared his throat. I needed to say something.

"Um, I guess you can stay, jus-just don't steal from the t-traps." Quit stuttering! He chuckled and stepped closer. "Oh don't worry, I have plenty of food." Then he scowled, but it lasted for less than a second. He must have been rich enough to afford food. So, he's not from the Seam. But then… "Why are you here? You must not need to hunt." I asked. "Oh yes I do. I mean, I need to hunt to have enough." He chuckled a bit nervously.

He came closer again. There were only a few meters between us. I liked that. Then I felt a drop, two drops, three. A pouring rain began to fall, and the wind picked up speed. Strange. The sky was clear and blue a few minutes ago. The man cursed. "Come on," He waved a hand towards him. "I know a dry spot not too far from here." I instantly began to follow. Perhaps he was going to the same place I thought of? Probably. I _did_ know most of the forest.

We began to jog together, and I noticed the grace with which he ran. It was nothing at all like Gale, who ran with purpose and speed, but also with agility. I could tell this man was watching me too; his eyes kept flitting to their corners. So I began to look ahead, and look strong. Not that I was trying to impress him or anything. He took the lead and I recognized where we were. It was the cottage. The one my father had showed me, right next to the little lake, where I still came to swim. Alone.

I suddenly felt defensive. This was almost a sacred place to my father and me. Not even Gale knew it existed. But here was this guy, who had seen it, and probably used it too, without my permission! Wait, no. It was okay. He had just stumbled across it as well. There was nothing wrong with that. My father and I never actually owned it.

"Here it is." He yelled through the pounding rain. The crying skies didn't show any signs of letting up. The ground was muddy, and the lake was close to the point of overflowing. He let me enter the tiny house first, and his hand floated behind my back like a traditional door-holding stranger's would. I immediately strode over to the fireplace; it was already feeling chilly. I took off my damp jacket and laid it on the mantel. The beautiful boy shut the door tight, making certain that no rain could weasel its way in. Then he turned to face me.

"Would you like a fire?" He asked, taking in my location. I nodded, resisting the urge to chatter my teeth or wrap my arms around myself. He crossed the floor and began to rearrange the logs. Then, in a quick and purposeful move, he struck two logs together, creating a small spark that began to catch instantaneously.

We both sat down on opposite sides of the hearth. His hair was still dripping. One rolled off of his bangs, down his temple and the side of his cheek, and made its way to the point of his chin. He wiped it off with the back of his wrist. Dang, this guy was so gorgeous. Then I thought to ask the crucial question that I should've asked before: "Who are you?" He winced, but again, it was so quick, I wasn't sure if had I imagined it or not. "My name is Edward Cullen." Edward wasn't a recent name. His parents must be old-timey. "But I don't know your name." He continued; it was a question within a statement. "Katniss." I answered. He smiled and nodded.

The fire was just starting to get warm when he asked, "So, who's the boy?" Startled, I gave him a shocked glance. "What boy?" "Oh come on, surely you, a very pretty, young girl, must have a boyfriend." I couldn't hold back the smile or blush that came when he complimented me. I lowered my gaze to the ground so I could recompose myself. When I was successful, I peeked up at him again. He watched me in an intense way, taking in my every move, like he was desperate to know something other than an animal. Where I got that conclusion, I couldn't tell. He just seemed like a lonely person.

I almost changed the subject when I remembered he had asked a question, and was waiting patiently for an answer. "No," I said. "I don't have a boyfriend. People don't usually approach me." Agh, why did I add that last part? Now I sounded pitiful. "It's just, they know I hunt and everything, so I guess they're too intimidated by me." I offered to cover up the helplessness I emitted in the statement before. That was never a good mask to keep: a damsel in distress. But now did I sound _too_ strong? That wouldn't scare him away, surely. Not when he hunted out here too.

To my surprise, he laughed. "Well, good, I guess. Now I have no reason to feel guilty about keeping you alone." Whoa, that sparked a nice feeling. Butterflies began to explode in my stomach, and warmth crept from my heart to the tips of my fingers, toes, and ears like an infection. But it wasn't bad. So, maybe it wasn't an infection, it was medicine. Was this boy medicine to me? Healing the broken pieces my father left behind? It felt that way. My mother was an empty shell; she certainly hadn't helped repair my heart figuratively the way I knew she could physically. I felt like a little girl again. Small, in need of protection, love, repair. Someone to fix me. Had those words really inflicted that much feeling? Maybe I was getting soft. Losing my toughness.

We sat in silence for a long, long time. Sure, there was small talk, just the usual.

_"So, you're from Twelve?" He asked."Yes." I answered. "You?" He was silent for a while, but he eventually answered. "No. I live in the forest." _He didn't elaborate, and I didn't pry, thus cutting off the conversation.

Outside, the howl of wind grew noticeably stronger. The walls began to creak and shudder. The rain turned to hail, pounding on the roof hard. He made a sound of consideration. "What?" I asked, sounding indifferent. "It doesn't usually storm like this, does it?" It didn't, so I shook my head. Before, I registered it as good weather. Everything always needed some nice water, people and plants alike. I had cursed in my head, though, because Gale had been right. But this hail was no good. It usually wasn't too cold in Twelve, but weather patterns have been known to change sometimes.

At that moment, one large crack came from up above. One single ball of ice landed on the floor, followed by countless others. They started to hit our heads, legs, and arms. Edward dove and pushed us both into a corner. He shielded himself defensively in front of me, but that didn't stop a few shells of ice from pounding my unprotected head. Everything started to spin when a certain sphere of ice thumped my forehead. Edward heard it knock the breath out of me and turned around. I could distinctly see him getting hit several times, but it wasn't affecting him at all. "Katniss!" He yelled over the roar of wind and crashing of hail. I could tell I was on the verge of blacking out.

I struggled to not fall asleep, but everything was getting blurry, and my eyelids were getting heavy. "KATNISS!" He bellowed, trying to keep my attention so I'd stay awake. The last thing I remembered was his face, contorted with worry and anxiety, and the roof being torn off of its supports behind him.

**A.N. Wow. So, after I initially write a chapter, I open it up a few days later to edit. This was an editing day, and somehow it switched to this massive storm. I'm still kind of shocked I did that. But anyways, tell me what you think!? I know this chapter was very different than the others. Review, review, review!**

**-Melanie**


	4. Protection

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or Twilight. All rights go to the brilliant minds of Suzanne Collins and Stephenie Meyer.**

**A.N. Thank you so so so much for the reviews, it makes me feel loved. Here's a nice long Chapter Four! Enjoy!**

**Edward POV**

_(Edward and Katniss have just arrived at the cottage.)_

I could tell the heat of the fire was working by watching her. Slowly she relaxed, the tension noticeably disappearing from her muscles. Of course, I didn't feel warmer. I never felt warm.

I decided to speak up. She must feel awkward sitting here so quietly. Besides, a harmless little conversation couldn't do any damage, right? What's a good topic? Well, I'd seen her with the boy. The dark headed one, who looked so much like her that he could almost be considered just as good-looking. They were only two humans I'd seen in centuries. Humans, there's a subject.

"So, who's the boy?" She looked at me with wild, shocked, grey eyes. I must have caught her off guard. "What boy?" She asked. Then, words flew out of my mouth that I really should have thought about before I said them. "Oh come on, surely you, a very pretty, young girl, must have a boyfriend." Crap! Edward, you idiot. You flirting, seducing idiot! I tried to hide my cringe, which would surely hurt her feelings after I'd stupidly complimented her. What if she got the wrong idea? She could _not_ start to like me, we couldn't be together. Even sitting in this cottage together was wrong! I gazed at her closely, trying to gauge her reaction. She was blushing and averting her gaze. Now you've done it Edward! That's a definite sign she likes you. I tried to scold myself, but there was a teensy part of me that took delight in it.

She took a while to answer, but she finally replied, "No, I don't have a boyfriend. People don't usually approach me." I resisted the urge to cock my head to the side. What did _that _mean? Why _wouldn't_ someone approach this beautiful girl? There was nothing wrong with her. No, no, deep breath, clear your mind. I was blinded with love. Everyone has their flaws. Even Katniss.

"It's just, they know I hunt and everything, so I guess they're too intimidated by me." She added. Ha! How very wrong she was. Especially to me, her ability to hunt drew the men in. Maybe not towards her literally, but they -we- certainly liked her enough from afar. So I laughed at her obliviousness, but didn't show the reason for chuckling in my words, which I _really_ should've thought about again.

"Well, good, I guess. Now I have no reason to feel guilty about keeping you alone." Oh my gosh. What was I? Some creepy pedophile locking away a sixteen year old girl, 'keeping her alone,' away from safety? I. Am. So. Stupid.

She had a strange look on her face. I could tell she was thinking deeply. What about? I wish I could know. Hang on, I'm a mind reader! Wait, doesn't she deserve some privacy? But the look on her face was enough to diminish my resolve. I delved into her mind.

Silence.

What? I looked up again, to make sure she was still there. She was. But I couldn't read her mind. Impossible! I could read anyone's mind. Yet, I'd never come across someone so… blocked. Sure, she was a peculiar girl, but I hadn't expected something as extraordinary as this. I would have to tell Carli- oh wait. Carlisle is gone. They're all gone. I'm alone.

After 26 minutes of near silence (I could tell exactly how many minutes, being a vampire and all), I could sense the storm taking a turn for the worse. Sharper and faster wind. Raindrops freezing into hail. I grumbled, wondering about the reason for climate change. "What?" She inquired nonchalantly. "It doesn't usually storm like this, does it?" I said, basically asking for a second opinion, since I already knew it didn't. She shook her head.

Then an ear-splittingly loud and cringe-worthy crack came from above. The hail was so large now that it was piercing through the roof. Katniss winced frequently when several more rained down on her. They were certainly large enough to cause her damage. That was unacceptable. The way the roof was slanted meant that less ice-stones could make their way through the roof near a corner. In a flash, I hastily moved the both of us. I wrapped my arms around her waist, and tried to cushion the impact between her and the wall.

Taking a defensive stance in front of her, blocking as many bouncing hailstones as I could, I felt… good. I could finally do something non-monster-ish. I cracked a tiny smile, as small as I could get away with considering the situation. But it disappeared when Katniss took in a miniature but sharp breath of air. I whirled around. I guessed that a large piece of ice had hit home, judging from the small bump I could already see forming on the crown of her head. "Katniss!" I yelled over the whistling wind and crashing stones, hoping desperately that she would hear me and not pass out.

She was struggling to keep her eyes open; her eyelids fluttering. "KATNISS!" She couldn't pass out! It would make things easier if she didn't. But of course, she closed her eyes, just as the roof was ripped from the walls. I scooped her unconscious body up in my arms, trying not to panic. I kicked open the door, which flew across the ground and landed on the other side of the little lake. I bent over Katniss protectively, trying to shield her from further damage.

I jogged into the cover of trees, where the ice was hitting the leaves and branches, slowing them down and breaking them up. This storm was so peculiar, and much too powerful to be a normal storm. I needed to get Katniss some shelter. I lifted her over my shoulder and ripped a tree from its roots. I broke it into pieces, making several logs. I did this with many other trees as well, as quickly as a vampire could. Within four minutes, I had a log cabin the size of a small tent. The hail was still falling, hard and fast. With Katniss still draped across my shoulder, I gathered the leftover leaves and made something of a floor. I laid Katniss down then, checking her for injuries. She'd have a very nice headache when she woke up, but no broken bones. I would ask her if anything hurt later.

But then again, should I even be here when she woke up? If I left now, it could convince her that it was a dream. Maybe she wouldn't even remember seeing me that first time. But would I want that? I very much enjoyed talking to her, but what if _I_ hurt her? She'd already gotten hurt, even though I didn't cause it directly. I was a dangerous creature, a monster. I could kill her! So easily too. She was so fragile, but so extraordinary! She worked hard for her family, loved her sister, and was loyal to her friend. She was brave, kind, and talented with a bow. She deserved to live! But being with me would put her in danger, unless I could control myself.

I was far too selfish a creature to leave her now. I was still captivated by her. I would not leave. I would stay with her until she woke, and keep her safe. I emerged from the makeshift cottage. If I didn't, she would only stay cold. Body "heat" from me was of no help in this situation. I looked scornfully up at the sky. How dare it rain these harmful rocks!? The stones seemed to stop increasing in size, though they didn't decrease. They were much larger than baseballs. I hadn't seen a baseball since before the beginning of Panem. I'm sure they were destroyed by the bombs. I still wondered what had happened to the other countries; all communication was cut off when America was destroyed.

Still, these were the largest hailstones I'd ever seen, and in my 293 years, that was saying something. What change could have caused this?

After a few hours, Katniss began to come to. I could hear her breathing and her heartbeat pick up speed as she awoke. I made my way into the shack, which was impressively staying up even with the attacking ice. She was groggily rubbing her eyes when I sat down.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty." I greeted her. "What?" She asked, yawning and rubbing her head. Right, she wouldn't have heard of the fairytale. "Nothing." I answered as she started to sit up. "Whoa whoa whoa, you don't want to sit up just yet. Your head took a nasty blow and it'll only hurt more if you move." I gently placed my hands on her shoulders and pushed her down. She still looked exhausted. Under her eyes were growing dark circles, and she could barely keep her eyes open.

"Where are we?" She questioned, still rubbing her head. I frowned; I didn't like to see her in pain. "Little hunting house I made a while back. Nice place to take cover from the elements." I lied easily.

"Well, what happened to the other place? The one by the pond?" She asked, looking a bit distraught. "The storm tore it down. Do you remember all the wind and hail?" I hoped she hadn't lost her memory or anything. It was unlikely, but possible. "Yeah, yeah." She answered, distracted, thinking, and not making eye contact. I had a sudden urge to read her mind again, and, out of habit, I tried to. Again, nothing.

I hoped the annoyance hadn't shown on my face. Such a puzzling creature she was. Especially when she suddenly sat up, mid-gasp. "What?" I asked, tense, and immediately on alert. "How long was I out? What time is it? Oh, Prim will be so worried, not to mention Gale, and he'll be dying to say 'I told you so'…" She trailed off, looking away, only to snap her gaze back to me for an answer. My shoulders relaxed, and I let out a small laugh of relief. "Calm down Katniss," Oh, her name rolled so easily off my tongue. "I think it's 3:00, same day. You weren't out for too long." She didn't loosen up as simply as I had.

She stood, and walked out the small doorway. "Katniss, don't go out there!" I tried to warn her, but to no avail. She was already trudging through the storm, which was gratefully lightening considerably. "You're going the wrong way!" I called after her. She spun around and trudged back, grabbing my hand and tugging me along. She didn't have a hold on me for too long though.

She dropped my arm and spun around again, facing me with both wide eyes and a wide mouth. "You're so cold," She whispered. "But it felt like, an electric shock or something. What did you do?" She felt it too? Sure, there was static electricity, but in the small moment our hands touched, static couldn't have caused something that powerful. It felt like fire, her skin. Surely not all humans were this warm? My memory was infallible; I didn't remember a human being this hot, er, warm.

I muttered something about a fever and started to walk ahead of her. She followed silently behind, using her precious hunting feet. Then I turned to her. "Would you like to get home faster?" Stunned by my strange question, she nodded with a quizzical look upon her face. I faced away from her and said, "Hop on." "What, like, a piggy-back ride? Are you kidding me? How would this get us home fas-" "Just trust me!" I cut her off, and she leaped on.

Using my brilliant speed, I had her to the place we'd met within 3 minutes. Had we really only met today? Spoken words to each other today? This morning? That had seemed like a life ago.

She slid off, looking a bit woozy. Her mouth was opening and closing, like she had something to say, but kept her mouth closed to keep the vomit in. But she was determined to ask questions. "H-how did yo-" I panicked. I kissed her forehead and sped off, not knowing whether or not I would, or could, return.

**A.N. So yeah! Okay, I expect reviews. If you want the next chapter, I'm gonna need some encouragement. Getting an email from FanFiction just completely makes my day, and that's when I take out my laptop and start writing. Sooo, I'm asking for at least ten reviews on this chapter (from separate people) before I upload the next. It's really not that many, but it's much appreciated! But anyway, I love you all! Thanks for everything! **

**P.S. Don't worry, I'll keep writing. I don't feel like giving up on this story anytime soon. *Knock on wood.***

**-Melanie**


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